Progress 09/01/09 to 10/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Farmers and professionals participating in the Covert Healthy Snacks Project planned workshops, demonstrations and farm visits that involved farmers in the production of fresh fruits and vegetables for Covert School's summer program. The farmers were able to participate in workshops that involved instructions on all phases of production of their crops. This was new to most of them as was the ability to participate in visiting packing facilities to learn Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices (GHP). The GAP and GHP workshops of four hours each were provided by Shelly Hartman of True Blue Farms for 60 farmers. The growing of the produce and the deliverance to the school on a regular basis gave the school fresh locally grown produce that was grown by limited resource and underserved farmer and produced and delivered in a timely manner for their school. Workshops, demonstrations and trainings included post harves care, marketing, composting, transplants, hoophouse management, financial management, school needs assessment, recordkeeping, food safety, vegetable production, fruit production and soil quality. Several were held at a local, established organic farm and some were taught by Dr. John Biernbaum, Professor of Horticulture, Michigan State University. The regular delivery of produce to Covert Schools showcased locally grown produce to young students and made it available for their consumption. The local farmers, service organizations and some well established growers partnered to provide training for the farmers producing produce for the Covert Healthy Snacks Project. Quarterly advisory meetings were held face-to-face or by telephone and annual meetings were held in conjunction with other events each year. PARTICIPANTS: Michelle Napier-Dunnings, Michigan Food & Farming Systems Phil Tocco, Extension Educator, Michigan State University Mark Longstroth, Extension Educator, Michigan State University Dr. Ron Goldy, Extension Educator, Michigan State University TARGET AUDIENCES: This project was targeted for lower income, socially disadvantaged farmers in southwestern lower Michigan and for lower income students in Covert Michigan Public Schools. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: No major changes.
Impacts
The Covert Healthy Snacks Project had a goal to help locally disadvantaged farmers establish their farming operations and increase their viability. The project gave these farmers the opportunity to produce fresh and vegetables that were regularly delivered to their local school and were consumed by the youth and teachers in their community. At least six local farmers actually grew, sold and delivered produce to the Covert, Michigan schools, a district where 94% of students are eligible for free or reduced price meals. It was a success for youth to have access each day during the summer to locally grown fresh fruit and vegetables. The Covert Healthy Snacks enabled local farmers to begin delivering produce that they were growing to their local school. Local USDA agencies, NRCS and FSA as well as a local farm credit service organization participated in providing training to the farmers who were participating in the Healthy Snacks Project. The planning of programs and the delivery of programs by the USDA agencies, Michigan State University, local well established growers and others were a real plus to helping our local farmers become more successful in their operations growing fresh fruit and vegetables. The workshops and demonstrations allowed farmers to see firsthand how various practices were started and carried out successfully so that they could be implemented in their farming operations. Barriers that have long stood between the farmers and the local agencies slowly came down doing the implementation of this project and allowed farmers to become even more comfortable with local USDA agencies visiting their farms and farmers participating in workshops and demonstrations. Through the workshops and demonstrations on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices (GHP) farmers were able to learn the value of food safety in their operations and the benefit of these practices for their customers and the benefit to them for the future as the plan their farming operations.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: 12/09/2009 Healthy Snacks meeting, farmers are made aware of the Healthy Snacks Project.12/15/2009: Project Kick-off meeting was held. 27 farmers attended the session with Covert school personnel and community supporters. Covert Farmer meetings and Project Feedback: 10/01/2009; 11/01/2009; 01/01/2010. 2/2/2012: Post Harvest Care, Good Agricultural Practices and Marketing Meeting, Part 1 Shelly Hartman, Instructor 02/18 2010: Composting Meeting- Dr. John Biernbaum, Instructor at the Eaters Guild Farm 07/01/2010: Transplant Meeting, Dr. John Biernbaum instructor at Eaters Guild Farm, 6/3/2010, 7/15-16/2010: Farm Needs Assessment Visits. Dr. John Biernbaum, Scott Corrin, Morse Brown and Barbara Norman, 09/02/2010: Hoophouse management meeting - Dr. John Biernbaum, Instructor at the Eaters Guild Farm. 06/3/2010, 07/07/2010,07/15/2010 ans 26,28 and 08/10/2011,08/16/2011,09/08/2011,08/21/2011,08/24/2011, Doug Oberst meetings on financial management June18,2011: School Needs Assessment. Caroline Baber, Barbara Norman and Scott Corrin. Value Added Agriculture: 3/29/2011. Presenter: Tom Kalchik at The Railroad Cafe. Composting and Soil Quality, 4/5/2011 at The Parks Farm. Presenter Dr. John Biernbaum. Quarterly Advisory Committee meetings or conference calls were held each quarter to keep members of the Advisory Committee informed of the progress being made with this project. Annual Meetings were held in conjunction with the Friends, Farm and Family Day events held each year. PARTICIPANTS: Elaine Brown, Executive Director of MIFFS. Elaine provided the leadership for MIFFS and the programs including the Covert Healthy Snacks Project. Scott Corrin, Senior Project Manager for MIFFS provided interatction with USDA and provided direction for implementing the project.Morse Brown, Program Manager for MIFFS Multicultural Farmers Program provided leadership for implementing the specific programs in the project and provided contact with farmers who particpated in the project. He provided day to day contact with farmers to provide guidance and mentoring in the educational information that they learned to implementbusiness plans, develop budgets and assist in their farm management and marketing strategies. He was also responsible for developing and implementing reports for evaluation of theprograms and measuring outcomes. Barbara Norman, Outreach Coordinator is to plan , schedule and conduct quarterly meetings of the Project Advisory Committee. Assisted farmers in utilizing the educational information that they received asparticipants in the project. Provided interaction with Covert School officials in receiving produce and scheduling with the farmers. Coordinate with partner Farm Research Cooperative. Filaberto Villa Gomez is Spanish Speaking Project Assistant. Assistant in developing public relations with the Spanish speaking community and prepare flyers, brochures and make contacts to get them to educational sessions and workshops. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience is the socially disadvantaged farmers of the town of Covert, Michigan. This grant allowed them to market their produce to Covert school as a part of the USDA food assistance program and learn in the process. The farmers learned packaging, marketing to the school so that the school could use the produce that they delivered. Covert schools was also a target in that it was the focus of the fresh produce that the farmers grew. This grant assisted these farmers in developing sustainable agricultural on their farms that could be sold to Covert School and gave them an opportunity to gain knowledge in how to improve their farm operations and improve the lives of students at Covert schools by providing them fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis from their local farmers. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Project Extended to 10/31/2012. A modification was requested to extend the project to October 2012. Extending it from an end date of 9/30/12. This was neecessary due to the resignation of our Executive Director Elaine Brown.
Impacts
The practices learned in the workshops included planting and harvest schedules,harvesting and cold storage, financial and business management,season extension and soil quality. In 2010 farmers took vegetables,apples and carrots to the school for student snacks. Volume of produce and numbers of farmers working with the school increased each year. Farmers learned the various tools such as types of trays, methods of seeding and tools that can be used to assist in planting seeds into trays for growing transplants necessary for getting an early start on plantings for hoophouses and for transplants into traditional crops growing in their fields. Dr.John Biernbaum's workshops allowed farmers to gain a firsthand knowledge of what is required in planning for and growing transplants. Farmers attended Friends, Farm and Family Day to learn the progress made with the Covert Project.Good Handling Practices was conducted by True Blue Farms Shelley Hartman who taught food safety in agriculture for small and large farm operations. Farmers were taught how food safety affects their farms and how they could become GAP certified. Heartland Agricultural Services Doug O'Berst provided training on financial systems for farmers. There were 39 participants who came and took part in this workshop. They were taught the basics of farm record keeping 01/21/2012 and 01/28/2012. Farmers were taught What is a Balance Sheet, What is the difference between cost and a market value balance sheet Income Statement and the difference between cash and accrual statements. Farmers learned Financing the Farm: Who does one see for help Training in setting goals and objectives. The factors to be considered in doing this was taught with interactive participation from the farmers. Farmers were also taught, financing the farm: The Type of Lenders, Informational needs for the financier, Matching the Lender with the Loan Request, What to do if you are denied and resources that are available in the area of financial assistance. Mr.O'Berst also worked with farmers on an ongoing basis as farmers scheduled time to review business plans, discuss their financial issues and needs and the need to buy or purchase land. Brochures were prepared a month in advance in English and Spanish for workshops or sessions that were held to inform farmers about the sessions/workshops that are planned. Brochures were written in English and in Spanish for workshops. Workshops also used a translator to translate to Spanish speaking farmers. Farmers began delivering produce to Covert Schools in the spring of 2010 to meet the 10percent planned goals of providing fresh to the school.Farmers delivered 20percent of the schools needs of fresh produce in 2011 and this past summer provided 40percent of Covert Schools produce. These farmers participated in supplying produce to Covert School: Lee and Eaters Guild Organic Farm,Arellano's Fresh Farm Market,Parks Farm, Benicto Enriquez, and Dennis Forbes. Over 60 farmers learned how to produce fresh vegetables for the school but were at a stage in producing where they were not able to deliver to the school.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: December 15, 2009: Project Kick-off meeting with Covert farmers, school personnel and community supporters Covert Farmer Meetings and Project Feedback: October, 2009; November, 2009; January, 2010; February, 2010 February 2, 2010: Post-Harvest Care, Good Agricultural Practices and Basics of Distribution Meeting, Part 1 - Shelly Hartman, Instructor February 18, 2010: Post-Harvest Care, Good Agricultural Practices and Marketing Meeting, Part 2 - Shelly Hartman, Instructor June 6, 2010: Composting Meeting - Dr. John Biernbaum, Instructor at the Eaters' Guild Farm July 15, 2010: Transplants Meeting - Dr. John Biernbaum Instructor at the Eaters Guild Farm. July 15-16, 2010: Farm Needs Assessment Visits - Dr. John Biernbaum, Scott Corrin, Morse Brown, and Barbara Norman September 2, 2010: Hoophouse management Meeting - Dr. John Biernbaum Instructor at the Eaters Guild Farm. June 3, July 7, 15, 26, 28, August 10, 16, September 8, 21, 24: Doug Oberst meetings on financial management June 18, 2010: School Needs Assessment - Caroline Baber, Barbara Norman and Scott Corrin PARTICIPANTS: Individuals PI/PD- Elaine Brown, Executive Director, Michigan Food and Farming Systems (MIFFS) PD-Scott Corrin, Senior Manager, Projects and Finance Barbara Norman, Outreach Coordinator Emily Beutel, Communications Manager Filiberto Villa, Spanish Speaking Coordinator Morse Brown, Project Manager Lee Arboreal, Eater's Guild Farm, Bangor, MI Antonio Alcarez, Bangor, MI Dr. John Biernbaum, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Shelly Hartman, True Blue Farms, South Haven, MI Doug Oberst, South Haven, MI Partner Organizations Michigan Food and Farming Systems Eater's Guild Farm, Bangor, Michigan Alcarez Farm, Bangor, Michigan Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Michigan State University Extension Student Organic Farm, Michigan State University, East, Lansing, MI Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Farm Service Agency, Michigan office and county offices Natural Resource and Conservation Service, Michigan office and county offices Farm Research Cooperative, Bloomingdale, MI Southwest Michigan Agriculture Research Team, Covet, MI Michigan Family Farms Conference Planning Committee Covert Public Schools (School Board, Staff, Student, and parents) Risk Management Agency Michigan Department of Agriculture Michigan Agricultural Experiment Stations, Fennville and Benton Harbor, MI True Blue Farms, South Haven, MI Training or Professional Development See Outputs section for all meetings held for this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: Covert Township (Covert) is a close-knit community in Michigan's southwest area that has a population of 3,141, of which 35.2% are African American and 15.2% are Latino. The percentage of individuals in Covert that live below the poverty level is 32.4%, versus 10.5% for Michigan and 12.4% for the United States. Therefore, in the Covert area, about half of the people are African American or Latino, and the income level for many of these families is low. In the 2002 Agriculture Census, this area ranked Number 1 in the state for the amount of fruits, vegetables and tree fruits produced. Agriculture is a vocation that can help community members to reach economic sustainability. Because Covert is a fruit/vegetable specialty crop area, there are many opportunities to start small faming operations. This means that with extensive knowledge but limited resources, people can begin farming fruits and vegetables. With the demand for specialty crops increasing to improve nutrition, the markets for specialty crops are growing, and the opportunity to earn extra money by farming is expanding. Our target audience that we have been focusing on has been Latino and African American farmers in the Covert area. Even thought the focus has been mailing farmers in the Covert area, we have welcomed farmers from the Van Buren County community to help expand their knowledge of farming practices and marketing. We hope that this program is successful in the Covert Public Schools and can be expanded to other neighboring districts. We have utilized a variety of training practices to help train these farmers. We have tried to conduct most of our training programs during the winter months when the farmers have more time for instruction. Some of these sessions have been classroom type sessions along with some sort of hands-on involvement of the topic being taught. Some of the sessions have been held on one of the project partner's farm to allow participants to actually be involved with the practice being taught. The financial sessions have been held one-on-one, as every farm is unique, and the instructor felt that it was important to work with them individually. All of the sessions have been conducted by university instructors, financial consultants, or other farmers that are implementing the practices. These experts have a history of working well with farmers and presenting material that can be easily understood. Another important audience for this project is the students at Covert Public Schools. Through the school food service and SNACK programs, we are able to teach student about healthy food choices. A large majority of the students get some form of food assistance or reduce meals at the school. The following are some of the statistics about the students at Covert Public Schools District: School's Population- Black 336, Latino 226, White 77, Two or more races 43, American Indian 3, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 1, Asian 0. 95 % of families who have income at or below $42,000 for a family of four in the Covert School District. 31% of families are single-parent households. Of the single-parent households indicated above, 27% are female head of households. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Besides minor changes when sessions were held, we have not had any major modifications to the project. We have been able leverage this grant with other funding sources to do additional educational sessions. When we met with the farmers regarding additional needs not addressed in this grant, it became apparent that we needed additional training on food safety. MIFFS was able to get additional funding from USDA-Risk Management Agency and the Michigan Department of Agriculture that allowed us to conduct Good Agricultural and Handling Practices (GAP/GHP) training. Some of the farmers have since become USDA GAP certified. The instructors for this project have gone above and beyond what they have committed to the project. They have offered additional training sessions or one-on-one assistance, which has been enthusiastically accepted by the growers in the area.
Impacts
Farmers in the Covert area became aware of opportunities as well as potential barriers and challenges they might encounter in this project when providing fresh fruits and vegetables to the school. More than 40 farmers from the Covert area attended educational workshops and meetings in 2010 to learn how to improve their farm production, marketing and management. Some of the practices learned in the various workshops included planting and harvest schedules, harvesting and cold storage, financial and business management, season extension and soil quality. This year, farmers in the area began providing fruits and vegetables, such as apples and carrots, to the school for student snacks. Volume of produce and number of farmers working with the school are expected to increase next year.
Publications
- USDA GAP & GHP Audit Verification Checklist- http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfiledDocName=STELPRDC5050869; US Food and Drug Administrations Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables- http://www.fds.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInforma tion/GuidanceDocuments/ProduceandPlanProducts/UCM169112.pdf; Food Safety Begins on the Farm-Grower Guide- http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/pubs/articles/foodsagetybeinsonthefarm.pdf National Gap Program- www.gaps.cornell.edu; Guidelines for Implementing a Good Agricultural Practice Program- http://foodafety.psu.edu/gaps/PSU_USDA_GAPs_Guidance_2008.pdf; Recordkeeping Manual for Private Pesticide Applicators- http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfiledDocName=STELPRD3342981; Why Some Foods Are Riskier Today, By Laura Landro, The Wall Street Journal; Greenhouse Organic Transplant Production, Dr. John A Biernbaum, Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, Organic Greenhouse Transplants 1/12/2006; Start Healthy Stay Healthy-Ten Tips for Tough Transplants, Dr. John A Biernbaum, Department of Horticulture and Student Organic Farm, Michigan State University, www.msuorganicfarm.org; Growing Transplants, Dr. John A Biernbaum, Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, Organic Transplant Production; High Tunnels-Using Low-Cost technology to Increase Yields, Improve Quality and Extend the Season, Ted Blomgren and Tracy Frisch, Produces by Regional Farm and Food Project and Cornell University; Season Extension Techniques for the Diversified Farm, Dr. John A Biernbaum, Department of Horticulture and Student Organic Farm, Michigan State University; Hoophouse Decisions and Opportunities, Dr. John A Biernbaum, Department of Horticulture and Student Organic Farm, Michigan State University, Hoophouse Decisions and Opportunities, 2009 UMOFC; Soil, Fertility, and Water Management in organic High Tunnels, Dr. John A Biernbaum, Department of Horticulture and Student Organic Farm, Michigan State University, High Tunnel Soil and Water; Wholesale Success- A Farmers Guide to Selling, Postharvest handling and Packing Produce, Midwest Edition, FamilyFarmed.org; Compost for Small and Mid-Sized Farms, Dr. John A Biernbaum, Michigan State Horticulture and Student Organic Farm; Compost Quick Course, Dr. John A Biernbaum, Michigan State Horticulture and Student Organic Farm
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